


mint. (the taste of lee donghyuck)

by johnnystiddies_95



Series: the taste of lee donghyuck [3]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boys Kissing, Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Making Out, Marijuana, Recreational Drug Use, donghyuck's mother is a bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-10-26 10:27:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17744186
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnnystiddies_95/pseuds/johnnystiddies_95
Summary: mint.the taste of the spearmint candies lee donghyuck had on him all of the time and the menthol of the cigarettes he smokes.it was the second most prominent taste of the mysterious boy, and mark loved it.





	mint. (the taste of lee donghyuck)

**Author's Note:**

> !!!!!!!! WARNING !!!!!!!!!
> 
> This has a very descriptive scene of child abuse, involving physical and emotional abuse. Please read at your own risk, and if you are triggered or sensitive to these types of things, please do not read. Thank you.

Mint.

The taste of the spearmint candies Lee Donghyuck had on him all of the time and the menthol of the cigarettes he smokes.

It was the second most prominent taste of the mysterious boy, and Mark loved it.

Mark and Donghyuck woke up the next morning to Mark's alarm blaring wide open. Donghyuck shot up and furiously tapped the Snooze button, but it wouldn't shut up. Finally, he shook Mark awake and handed him his phone.

"Turn this bitch off before I break it." Donghyuck groaned. Mark sat up sleepily and turned the alarm off.

"Stupid Androids. Get an iPhone like the rest of us." Donghyuck scoffed as he stood up.

"I don't follow the crowd. If I want an Android, I will have an Android." Mark playfully snapped back. Donghyuck rolled his eyes and slid his shirt off. He grabbed one of Mark's hoodies from the hamper and put it on. Mark smiled at this. He loved it when his boyfriend wore his clothes.

"We going to school or?" Donghyuck asked. Mark laughed and stood up. He had on nothing but sweatpants. He walked over to his closet and threw a sweatshirt on, then a random pair of shoes. He looked back at Donghyuck who was rolling yet another blunt on his bed.

"Baby, no. We are not going to school high as shit." Mark argued.

"Please, we'll be fine! I've done it before, you can too." Donghyuck defended. He licked the remainder of the wrap and sealed it closed with his lighter. He proceeded to walk to the window, but Mark stopped him.

"If you're gonna smoke, let's do it in the car, okay?" Mark offered. Donghyuck huffed and silently agreed. He opened the door and stomped towards the bathroom. He washed his face and brushed his teeth. He had swiped some of his toothpaste on Mark's cheek, then tried to run away but the wall prevented that.

"Ha," Mark teased, "payback's a bitch!" Donghyuck spit and rinsed his mouth out then pushed him against the wall. He kissed Mark deeply, tangling his fingers in his hair. Mark's hands snaked around Donghyuck's waist and pulled him closer.

"Mmm, mint," Mark commented. The redheaded boy ignored him and kept kissing him. It was like he couldn't get enough of Mark. He kept pulling at Mark's thick Stanford sweatshirt in an effort to pull him even closer. Mark twisted around, so now Mark was pressing Donghyuck into the drywall. He grabbed his thighs and hoisted him up. Mark's lips roughly kissed Donghyuck's neck and left behind purple marks beside already existent ones.

Donghyuck groaned and tugged at Mark's hair. He felt on top of the world with Mark holding him. He didn't want it to end.

"Breakfast!" Mark's mom yelled. Mark stopped and sighed heavily. Donghyuck groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, baby boy, let's go." Mark heaved. He let go of Donghyuck, who groaned in frustration and walked out the door and down the stairs.

Mark followed and they walked to the kitchen, where Mark's parents were. Breakfast was placed on the table perfectly with fresh fruit and eggs being the main feature.

"Hi, sweetie!" His mom boasts, "Hi, Mark."

"I'm your son!" Mark said, throwing his hands up. He and Hyuck sat down beside each other at the table.

"Well, we know who's her favorite." Donghyuck teased as he popped a strawberry in his mouth. Mark ruffled his hair and made his own plate.

"So, what did you two do last night?" Mark's dad asked as he closed his morning paper.

"Nothing, we just walked to the train tracks, sat there for a few and came back," Mark explained. It wasn't a lie, just not the whole truth. He was getting better at 'bending the truth' to his parents, as he called it. He never told them exactly what he had done, just the non-incriminating details.

"Be careful out there, boys. There's a lot of sketchy people who go back there and deal drugs." Mrs. Lee warned as she sat down.

"Yeah, like us," Donghyuck whispered quiet enough for just Mark to hear. Mark kicked Donghyuck's foot and smiled at him.

"So, Donghyuck. Tell us more about you, son." Mr. Lee chatted. Donghyuck froze, but tried not to make it too noticeable. He didn't want anyone to know what went on behind the scenes.

"Oh, uh," Donghyuck began as he tried to remember the lie he told Mark a while ago. "My mom works for a law firm as an intern and my dad works at uh," he paused for a split second, "he works from home."

"Oh, doing what?" Mrs. Lee asked before taking a bite of her food.

"Uhm, he's an accountant. He has people come to him." Donghyuck answered just a little bit too quickly.

"That's great! Maybe we can all get together and have dinner or something sometime." Mr. Lee suggested.

"Definitely!" Donghyuck answered. "Oh, look at the time! We need to be going to school. Let's go, Mark." He said as he stood up and pulled Mark towards the door.

"We have a few more minutes-" Mark was cut off and pulled away from his chair.

"Have fun, boys!" Mrs. Lee hollered as the two ran out the front door. Donghyuck sighed in relief as he shut the heavy oak door behind them.

"What was that about?" Mark giggled as they walked towards his black Mustang.

"Nothing, I just don't like people asking me a hundred questions. No offense to your parents." Donghyuck answered. He was also good at telling only half of the truth.

"All right, let's go, baby." Mark smiled, unlocking his car and getting in. As soon as they were both seated, Donghyuck lit his blunt. Mark hurriedly backed out of the driveway and began his trip to school.

It was about a fifteen-minute drive, so they smoked the entire blunt before they made it to school. Mark parked and turned the car off. He looked at Donghyuck and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Mark, sober the fuck up. The first bell is about to ring, you can't be acting like a dumbass in front of our homeroom teacher." Donghyuck scolded. He lit a cigarette and cracked the window.

"And what about it?" Mark giggled. Donghyuck rolled his eyes and stepped out of the car. Mark shook his head and followed suit, grabbing his backpack from the backseat. He caught up to Donghyuck and held his hand as they walked into school. Donghyuck stopped and put his half-smoked cigarette back in the pack.

"Here," Donghyuck said, pulling spearmint peppermints out of his pocket. "Your breath smells like pot." Mark nodded and popped one into his mouth. They made it to homeroom and sat down beside each other.

"Mark Lee!" A familiar voice said.

"Wong Lucas!" Mark shouted just a little too loud. They both hugged each other for a second, then sat down.

"So, this is the new mans!" Lucas exclaimed. "I'm Lucas, Mark's only friend."

"Lee. Lee Donghyuck." Donghyuck shook Lucas' hand.

"Lucas." He smiled. "So, what y'all been up to?" He asked as he sat back in his chair and sipped his Starbucks drink.

"Nothing," Mark answered, his confidence clearly fake.

"Lucas, are you a narc?" Donghyuck asked out of the blue. Mark looked at him with widened eyes and an expression that said 'what the fuck?'.

"A narc is someone who rats out someone who has drugs right?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah."

"Hell no! I smoke weed myself!" Lucas yelled.

"Shut the fuck up!" Mark whisper-yelled. "You're gonna get us caught."

"So the innocent, goody-two-shoes, perfect GPA having ass Mark Lee," he paused to chuckle. "is a stoner." He laughed and slapped the table. "Who would have thought!"

"Man shut the fuck up." Mark waved his hand.

"He's high as shit right now." Donghyuck pointed out. Lucas sat up straight in his chair, then sniffed.

"My god, you reek of weed." Lucas shook his head. Mark's eyes got as wide as saucers and began searching frantically through his bag for some kind of spray to mask the smell.

"Uh," he pulled out a small spray bottle, "breath spray?" Donghyuck shrugged and continued staring at Mark as he panicked. He sprayed the mint tasting spray on his clothes, bag, and even his breath. Donghyuck and Lucas laughed and high fived each other.

"Stop laughing at my struggles," Mark complained. The homeroom teacher came into the room and said his greetings.

"Okay, I'm cool," Mark said. His boyfriend chuckled and continued listening to the teacher.

The rest of the morning consisted of Mark trying to mask how high he was and Donghyuck laughing at him while he was giving a presentation. He finally gave Mark some CBD oil after lunch to help him sober up. The rest of the day was fairly calm, minus Lucas being way too loud about weed in Gym and AP Calculus.

Finally, it was time for them to go home. Donghyuck said he needed to go back home for a few. Mark agreed and offered him a ride, but he turned it down and said he would walk. Mark went home to clean his room, and Donghyuck walked with Jaehyun back home.

"So," Jaehyun began. "you still haven't told him about your past, huh?" Jaehyun kicked a rock into the bushes, then looked up to the sky. It was overcast, chilly and looked like it was about to rain.

"I don't think he needs to know how fucked up I am. At least until later. I've never shown anyone that side of me, and I don't know if I'm ready for that." Donghyuck admitted. "I have one of the shittiest backgrounds and history. I don't want to put that on Mark to deal with."

"But that would show you a lot of things. If he really loves you, he'll stay." Jaehyun informed.

"Is this some kind of reverse psychology? Why would I put him and myself in that situation?" Donghyuck argued.

"Do what you think is best. Go with your gut feeling, it's always right." Jaehyun smiled. "Oh, your mother came by today."

Donghyuck stopped dead in his tracks. "She got out of fucking jail?!"

"Yeah. Johnny told me to tell you that she wants to see you." Jaehyun answered.

"No. Fuck her, she ruined my life and kicked me out when I was 15. I can't do that." Donghyuck shook his head. His mother was back. She had been in prison for the past 2 years on felony counts of child abuse and drugs. She was dangerous, and Donghyuck couldn't stand to go around her.

"At least go there and pack some more of your stuff. I'll go with you." Jaehyun offered. He knew how much Donghyuck hated her and did not want to put him in a situation where he would get hurt; emotionally or physically.

"Fine. But I am not speaking to her." Donghyuck agreed. They walked past the house where he lived with Johnny and Jaehyun and started towards his mother's house. He had moved in with Johnny and Jaehyun over a year and a half ago after Johnny literally dragged him from the school gym where he had been sleeping since his mother got locked up. He cried when Johnny took him home, no one in his life had shown him a fatherly affection in his life.

Eventually, Johnny moved to a bigger place with Jaehyun and Donghyuck; a small, three bedroom house that was big enough for all three of them. Donghyuck loved where he lived. He loved Johnny the most cause when he was at his lowest, he was there and brought him in. Johnny helped Hyuck get a job, manage his money for college, hell, he bought him a motorbike because that was the one thing he wanted so bad in the world. He was grateful for Johnny and Jaehyun and always tried to show his appreciation in small ways like cleaning up, paying the electric bill for the month, or just making them dinner.

The two boys made it to Donghyuck's mother's house. It was a small, one-story brick house with a messy porch and an old, beaten up car in the cracked cement driveway.

"I'll come in with you." Jaehyun comforted. He wrapped his arm around the younger's shoulders and walked him up to the door. Donghyuck turned the knob, which was unlocked, and opened the door.

Hundreds of memories flooded through him and he began feeling overwhelmed. The house smelled like chemicals and burning plastic, crack cocaine, Donghyuck thought. He squeezed his nose and walked to his room.

"Donghyuck?" A woman's raspy voice called from the kitchen. He didn't answer and went into his room. He gathered up his journals, old artwork, and a few things from his father, who died from an overdose a few years ago.

"Donghyuck." A voice called. He turned around and saw his mother in the doorway. She had sunken in cheekbones, wrinkles around her eyes, and her complexion was pale.

"What do you want?" Donghyuck scoffed.

"Hey, what the fuck is with this attitude towards the woman who raised you?" She snapped back.

"You didn't fucking raise me!" Donghyuck shouted. "All you did was shoot up, beat me and left me to fend for myself. I fucking hate you, so just leave me alone so I can pack my shit and go."

Donghyuck's mother was enraged. She grabbed his arm and slapped him across his face.

"I don't want to hear any of this nonsense coming from you. You're staying here and since you're still a minor, and I have custody of you, you can't go anywhere." She smirked. Donghyuck pushed her back, grabbed his little basket of his things and walked towards the door.

"What did I say?!" She screamed, pushing Donghyuck onto the floor and making him drop his basket. She got on top of him and started beating him with her fists. Jaehyun ran in from the living room and pulled her off of him. He shoved everything back in the basket, grabbed Donghyuck and ran out the door and up the street.

Once they got to a safe distance, Donghyuck broke down and began crying. Jaehyun kneeled down and tried to comfort Donghyuck.

"Hey, hey. You never have to see her again, okay? This is it, no more." Jaehyun held the weeping boy in his arms and rocked back and forth.

"C-c-call M-m-m-Mark" He hiccuped. Jaehyun pulled Donghyuck's phone out and speedily dialed Mark.

He answered after the first ring, "Hey, baby!"

"It's Jaehyun, we're at the corner of Gilreath and Brookstone, get here now! Donghyuck needs you!"

"Okay, I'm coming! What the fuck happened?" Mark panicked. You could hear the jingling of keys and a car starting up on the other line.

"I'll explain later, just hurry the fuck up!" Jaehyun yelled, then ended the call.

Donghyuck was still struggling to breathe as he choked on his sobs. He clenched onto Jaehyun as he waited for Mark.

Not three minutes after Jaehyun hung up, Mark was speeding around the corner. He stopped beside Jaehyun and Donghyuck, then ran out and left the car running.

"Baby, baby! What happened?" Mark panicked more as he grabbed Donghyuck and wrapped his arms around him. Donghyuck sobbed into his boyfriend's shirt and clung onto him like his life depended on it.

"His mother," Jaehyun said in disgust. "She beat him again."

"Again?" Mark questioned, furrowing his eyebrows. "She does this?"

"Yeah. Been doing it. She went to prison for a couple of years and got out today. He went back to get his stuff, but she tried to keep him there." Jaehyun explained. "Donghyuck will tell you more."

Mark looked in his arms and saw Donghyuck at his weakest. He looked broken; his lip was bloody and a bruise was forming on his cheek. Mark's heart broke at the sight.

"Take him back to your place. It's where he feels the most comfortable." Jaehyun informed. Mark nodded his head.

"Baby, come on. Let's get in the car." Mark said as he tried to get up.

"No!" Donghyuck sobbed even more. "Don't leave me with her. Please! Stay with me, I need you, Mark. Don't leave me. Don't leave me." He repeated.

Tears began forming in Mark's eyes. "I'm not going anywhere baby." he said shakily, "I'm here, I'm staying. I'm not going anywhere. I got you, Duckie."

"I got you."

 


End file.
